Soccer: Lennon shines in Walcott's shadow

The media have been afforded only brief glimpses of England in training since Sven Goran Eriksson announced his 23-man squad for the World Cup but, on the Algarve last week and at a hotel just north of London yesterday, attention was magnetically drawn to an uncapped teenager.

Skilful, intelligent and tellingly quick, Tottenham Hotspur protege Aaron Lennon revelled in the company of established internationals to suggest he may not be such a gamble. A competitive test is still to come but thus far Lennon is thriving.

Free from the hype and the expectation surrounding Arsenal's Theo Walcott, Lennon, only 19, has avoided the frenzy his passport to Germany would usually attract to settle into the previously uncharted territory of England's squad.

Lennon's impact throughout the first week of preparation for the World Cup is said to have made a genuine impression on Eriksson. And while Walcott will be the focus of the B-team friendly against Belarus on Friday morning (NZT), his fellow uncapped adolescent will also be asked to come of age at Reading's Madejski Stadium. One England colleague who watched Lennon perform 29 times for Spurs last season, goalkeeper Paul Robinson, says the young Yorkshireman will be unperturbed by the occasion.

Robinson said: "I saw Aaron a few times when he was coming through at Leeds and, when I was in the first team there, he was the lad they were all talking about. Now he's followed me at Tottenham and has really developed.

"There's a real buzz about him. When he goes past a player, it gives the crowd a huge lift. Nothing seems to faze him.

"He'll bring something different to England. Maybe he won't start games - but with his pace and ability to run at players, he could perhaps come on for the last 15 minutes of a game and totally change the outcome.

"The same goes for Walcott. The likes of Aaron and Theo have added a freshness to our squad. Both are unknown quantities and maybe other teams won't know how to handle them."

Robinson is spending much of his spare time studying the penalty-taking techniques of possible World Cup opponents - Paraguay are first up.

"I've been doing a lot of research and I'll be prepared for a penalty shoot-out if it comes to one," Robinson said. "I'm not going to say what research but I've given myself the best chance of saving a penalty in the World Cup."

- INDEPENDENT